


Strictly Zootopia

by Nimohtar



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Strictly Come Dancing Fusion, Anthropomorphic Characters, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Dancing with the stars - Freeform, M/M, Original Character(s), Pre-Slash, Romance, dance competition, feel good fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-04-21 05:25:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14277867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nimohtar/pseuds/Nimohtar
Summary: Super-Fan Benjamin can’t believe he’s been nominated for this year’s Strictly Zootopia charity special - and the surprises just keep on coming, as his pro dance partner is none other than Jay Tabis, one of Gazelle’s infamous backing dancers. From the very start sparks fly - both on the dancefloor, and off!A Zootopia meets Strictly Come Dancing/(Dancing with the Stars) fic that no one asked for, but I decided to write anyway.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The plot bunny came to me and refused to leave me alone...
> 
> I have a few chapters completed, but it's still an unfinished fic at the moment.

 

Benjamin Clawhauser loved his job.

Friday morning in Zootopia, and the usual hubbub of the ZPD Precinct 1 surrounded the reception desk where he was settled into his seat, three hours into his shift. Four months since the Night Howler incident, and life at the precinct was more or less back to normal. Benjamin’s nameplate was front and centre on the desk again, Chief Bogo’s angry rants echoed around the bullpen on an almost hourly basis, and the cafeteria still refused his requests to stock Lucky Chomps. The only real difference was the shiny new equipment that lit up his desk like Christmas lights, paid for by the donations that had poured into the ZPD the last few months.

Today had been fairly typical so far – the usual arrests, a few dispatch calls, and a chat with his aunt Madge over tonight’s dinner choices, and Benjamin was already licking his whiskers in anticipation of the banoffee pie dessert.  

The thought had him leaning back in his chair to open the box of donuts behind him and snagging one with his claws: he took a large bite from the confectionary, coating his lips with rainbow coloured sprinkles. Before him, a red light on his switchboard lit up, and he shuffled back into place before his desk, tapping the button to accept the call.

“Good morning, this is ZPD Precinct 1, Officer Clawhauser speaking – how may I help you?” Benjamin trilled his standard greeting down the microphone of his headset.

“Officer, this is Grizzoli; just to let you know we’ve been caught up in a 10-55 over on Mane Street. We’ve booked him and are bringing him in, so could you alert cell block A?” the rumbling voice of the lion officer came through the earpiece; he was slightly out of breath, and Benjamin could hear the faint sounds of slurred cursing in the background.

“Copy that Grizzoli, and go you!” Benjamin praised with enthusiasm. “I’ll let them know to expect you ASAP. What’s your ETA?”

“I’d say fifteen minutes, depending on traffic,” Grizzoli responded. “There’s problems along north Savannah Central,  so we were gonna have to cut across Downtown.”

Benjamin’s ears twitched and his tail began to flick. “You’re going through Downtown? Next to Sugar and Sprinkles?” he asked, aiming for casual, but certain that some hope and desperation slipped in there.

There was a pause on the other end of the comm, and Benjamin held his breath as he awaited a response.

Finally, sounding only slightly reluctant, Grizzoli asked “Do you want us to pick you up some donuts?”

Benjamin squealed in delight. “You’re the best!” he told the other officer. “Can you get me…” A glance over to the side revealed only five left in the box beside him, and Benjamin quickly calculated the number of hours until his shift ended, “half a dozen of the choco ones, extra sprinkles?”

“All right, Clawhauser. Change our ETA to twenty-five.”

“Copy that!” Benjamin said, and ended the call, helping himself to another donut, safe in the knowledge that more were on their way; he’d never been good at rationing out his treats.

He alerted the cell block of their impending arrival, and in exactly twenty-five minutes, Grizzoli and Fangmire entered the precinct with a very inebriated warthog dangling from their grip as they strong-marched him across the room towards the cells. As they passed the desk, Fangmire dropped off a cardboard box with Benjamin’s second favourite logo emblazoned across the top.

"You're the best, Fangmire!" he blurted out, fingers wriggling in excitement as he prepared to tuck into the box of chocolate goodies.

"Yeah, yeah, just call me Santa Claws," the wolf responded with good humour, giving a small salute as he passed the desk.

With a donut in each hand and a third already in his mouth, Benjamin just nodded happily.

The rest of the morning passed quickly, along with his lunch break, and Benjamin was headed back to his desk when he caught sight of the precinct’s newest and smallest officer pair waiting casually in the reception; Judy’s hands were clutched together before her, while Nick rested casually against the desk on one elbow, slurping from a juice carton.

“Judy! Nick!” Benjamin beamed at them, just about resisting his natural urge to scoop them up into a hug; he didn’t think Nick would ever forgive him for the last time he’d tried, and he still hadn’t got the pop-tart stains out of his uniform shirt.

“Hey, Spots,” the fox greeted, receiving an exasperated sigh from Judy. She had yet to convince him that nicknaming everyone he came across wasn’t in the ZPD’s code of conduct. Benjamin didn’t mind – it gave him a little thrill to think he had a nickname, and not an offensive or hurtful one as had often been the case throughout most of his school years. Nick was not mean-spirited to his friends.

He turned to Judy. “I heard you made Officer of the Month again!”

Judy shot him a bright-eyed grin, her cheeks pinking up. “Oh, Clawhauser…there was a lot of others who deserved it too,” she demurred.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Carrots,” Nick interjected, “you deserve every bit of it. But just you watch; now I’m officially part of ZPD, don’t think I won’t challenge you for that spot.” He winked, taking the bite out of his words.

Benjamin smiled widely, enjoying their usual banter and the way Judy’s blush deepened and her eyes sparkled at Nick’s teasing. Benjamin couldn’t wait for the day they finally acknowledged they liked each other.

“Anyway…” Judy turned her attention to Benjamin again. “Chief Bogo wanted to see you.”

Benjamin’s eyebrows shot up. “Did he say what it was about?”

“Nope. Just said for you to head to the bullpen,” Nick responded, shrugging his small shoulders.

Benjamin furrowed his furred brows. “That’s odd. Normally he just calls me to his office when he wants something,” he commented. He and Bogo had worked in this precinct together for the last four years, and their working pattern and habits were well-established: as long as Benjamin did as Bogo asked without too much complaint, Bogo wouldn’t yell at him…much. More recently, they had added Gazelle Gossip Time into their schedules, but that had been the only real change.  “Oh well. I guess I’ll head on over.”

He turned back towards the lifts, intending to make his way to the bullpen, and found Judy and Nick following him.

“We may as well go with you; gotta head back to work, you know.” Nick dropped his empty carton into the bin beside the lift as he stepped in beside Benjamin.

Judy laughed. “That paperwork won’t finish itself.”

Not minding the company of his friends a while longer, Benjamin pushed the button for the second floor. “Ooh, did you see Gazelle’s latest interview? She said she’s working on a new album, which is just  _ so _ exciting! I’ve got the link saved, lemme just pull it up….” he mumbled, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. The lift dinged on the correct floor and Benjamin stepped out,walking towards the double doors to the bullpen on instinct while his fingers tapped at his phone.

“Er, Clawhauser, you might want to hold that thought for a sec…” Judy’s voice came from behind him, and Benjamin glanced to the side right before a large crowd of people before him erupted into applause.

Startled, he took in all the officers of Precinct 1 crowded around the bullpen grinning at him excitedly, and in front of them heading towards him a neatly dressed Wild African Dog holding a microphone in her hands while motioning over a moose with a handheld video camera on his shoulder and a sound mike strapped to his antlers. From the blinking red light on the camera, it appeared that they were already filming.

“Officer Benjamin Clawhauser, I’m Kit Juniper from the ZTV Network, and I was hoping to have a few moments of your time,” the spotted dog reached him, and took up a stance so that she was half angled toward him and half toward the camera, which was now a lot closer than Benjamin had expected.

He tried to surreptitiously check his whiskers and shirt for wayward rainbow sprinkles, his very wide eyes darting from Kit beside him to his team scattered around the room. From the sly grins and excited chatter, everyone seemed to know something he didn’t, but before he could get too far along with his wild theories (Z-Lottery winner, perhaps?) Kit brought his attention back to her.

“So, Officer Clawhauser, are you aware of the ZTV Network’s show Strictly Zootopia, where celebrity contestants are paired with professional partners in a dance competition?” Kit asked him.

Despite his confusion over what exactly was going on, Benjamin was too big a fan to miss an opportunity to talk about the things he liked. His cheeks puffed up with a grin and his tail twitched gleefully. “I watch it all the time!” he informed her. “The dancers are so good, and they have some of the best costumes ever – aunt Madge even tried to make a few! – and I just love how funny the judges are, especially when they get into arguments over the scores!”

Kit let out a laugh. “Seems to me like you’re a fan! I suppose I don’t need to tell you about the charity special episode that’s coming up at the end of next month?”

Benjamin shook his head with gusto. “You do it every year,” he said, “although I haven’t heard what the charity is this year…”

And he still couldn’t figure out what any of it had to do with him.

“A very worthwhile cause,” Kit informed him – and the camera. “Little Critter Sanctuary is a voluntary organisation devoted to young and adolescent mammals – they provide medical aid and treatment, adoption services, and set up groups and activities for those who otherwise may not be able to afford it. All proceeds raised by the special episode will go straight to the charity.”

“Oooh, that’s so sweet!” Benjamin enthused, and Kit’s grin widened.

“But Benjamin – if I may call you that – I bet you’re wondering what all this has to do with you.”

“Well…” he trailed off. He was almost bursting from the need to know; the half-stifled eruptions of giggling around the room were steadily increasing in volume.

“This year’s charity special has a new element. While the number of overall contestants is remaining the same, the ZTV Network decided to open up nominations to the public, to vote for a special someone to take part in the show. The votes have been counted, and the winner of the people’s choice is clear.” Kit paused for dramatic effect, and the tension in the room was thick enough to cut through.

Benjamin’s eyes widened to epic proportions and his mouth fell open as the news reporter’s meaning was starting to become clear. “Noooooo….Me?” he squeaked, pointing to himself with a hesitant claw.

“Benjamin Clawhauser, I am here to officially tell you that you are the people’s choice to take part in Strictly Zootopia’s charity special episode!” Kit announced, and the room exploded into noise – cheers and howls and Francine’s distinctive trumpeting call.

Benjamin let out a particularly loud squeal, before his hands slipped up to cover his mouth to prevent any further embarrassing sounds. “Oh – My – Goodness! I can’t believe it! Who? How?” he babbled.

“You have two very good friends to thank for entering your name,” Kit told him, and motioned towards the crowd - where Judy waved at him sheepishly, and Nick gave a very obvious thumbs up. 

“I can’t believe it,” he half-whispered to himself and positively wriggled in his spot, fighting the urge to leap and shout with joy. 

His mind was racing so much he only half paid attention to Kit as she rounded up the live portion of her interview with a few more questions - “Who do you think will be most surprised and/or excited at seeing you on the show?” “My Aunt Madge”, and “What would be your favourite dance to perform?” “Any of the Latin ones, they just look like so much fun!” - and then a reminder to the audience of when the live episode was due to be shown. The camera switched off, and Kit said she wanted to get a few feedback clips from the others in his team, and then Benjamin was standing on his own. 

Nothing was going to prevent him from hugging his friends now; he charged across the room as fast as his feet could carry him and swept the fox and bunny into his arms and squeezed. “You guys!” he near-wailed, his eyes welling up. It was just...so surprising, so spectacular, he could barely contain himself or his emotions. “No one’s ever done something so nice for me!”

“Aww, Clawhauser, I’m sure that’s not true,” Judy consoled him, awkwardly trying to pat his shoulder. 

Nick squirmed uncomfortably until Benjamin let them down, at which point he straightened his uniform with a loud sniff, although his eyes twinkled in a way that meant he clearly wasn’t as put out as he pretended. “Just make sure you keep that enthusiasm for the show, and give it all you’ve got,” the fox advised. “We’ll be right there in the audience.”

He couldn’t stop another another wave of tears. “You guys!”

Benjamin  _ really _ loved his job. 

 

* * *

 

After the surprise reveal followed by Aunt Madge’s banoffee pie _and_ custard cream tart to celebrate, next came the practical details. 

Despite it being a Saturday the following day, a representative of ZTV contacted him by email with a whole slew of information about deadlines and filming schedules and training dates, endless medical forms to be filled in and signed off by his GP, some confidentiality agreements with more legalese than he was prepared to decipher, and appointments for wardrobe fittings ready for the promo shoot in a few days. He was calling up by telephone before Benjamin had even glanced through half of it, and his bafflement must have been clear in his voice when he confirmed he’d received it all. 

“Just fill in the medical history bit and emergency details,” Zeke reassured him cheerfully; he’d probably done this a bunch of times and was used to nervous participants. “And show up of course - that’s probably the most important thing!”

With frequent prompting by the otter, Benjamin managed to sign off on the immediately necessary forms (no major medical history, except a dodgy shoulder from when he was a cub and fell out of a tree, and bouts of hypercholesterolaemia when his exercise reduced… which was frequently) and noted down the most important dates in his diary, in particular Wednesday that week when he was due to go into the studio to meet the fellow contestants and his professional partner.

For the rest of the weekend, he and Aunt Madge pulled out their favourite clips from previous  Strictly Zootopia shows, munching along to popcorn as they debated over what dance he might have to do and what partner he may get. Despite trawling through the ZTV’s website, he couldn’t find any confirmed details over which of the show’s regular dancers might have signed up for the charity episode.

It didn’t matter too much to him - as long as they were patient with him, he would be happy to learn from whomever. 

Back at work on Monday, his first stop was Chief Bogo’s office to talk about taking some days off to attend the first week’s activities. 

“Already switched your shifts around,” the buffalo told him gruffly. “You can’t have the whole time off, but you have some leave saved up, and I managed to swing a few favours.”

“Were you involved, sir, in the vote?” Benjamin asked when he had finally stopped thanking his suddenly rather embarrassed boss.

Chief Bogo simply rolled his eyes. “Don’t waste my time with silly questions, Clawhauser. You’ll be missing enough work over the next few weeks as it is - best get to it.”

“Sorry, sir,” Benjamin apologised and prepared to retreat from the room, not overly perturbed by the chief’s reluctance to answer the question. However, just as he was about to slip through the door, he heard a muttered:

“Whose idea do you think the surprise announcement was?”

Benjamin let the door click shut with a grin. Bogo may be rough on the outside, but he had a soft heart. 

 

* * *

 

On Wednesday, a rather nervous but wholly eager Benjamin stepped into the ZTV’s Studio Eleven. It wasn’t the largest of the studios, but it was the home of Strictly Zootopia and a few of the more popular talk-show programmes, and to Benjamin’s rather novice eyes, was certainly grand and exciting - after all, no one else in his family had ever been on tv before. If only his Ma could see him now!

The reception area was filled with large tv screens showing clips of ZTV’s shows on repeat, and Benjamin recognised a few of the famous stars who had appeared on talk shows as well as actors and actresses who starred in their tv series and films.

“Mr Clawhauser!” he heard from behind him, and spun to see an otter with a clipboard scurrying towards him. “Zeke,” he introduced himself, holding out a paw to shake. “Pleasure to finally meet you in person.”

Benjamin took his paw, his own dwarfing the smaller mammal’s, and gave an enthusiastic shake. “I’m so glad to see someone I know,” he admitted.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about; we’re all a big family here - you’ll see soon enough!” the otter reassured him, then nodded his furred chin towards the lift. “Shall we head on over to the guest area? You can meet all the other contestants, and we have a brunch set up if you’re hungry.”

“Well, a little snack wouldn’t go amiss…” he replied, perking up almost immediately. Food was always a good way to overcome nerves. 

He followed Zeke past the reception desk and into the studio proper, up two flights of stairs and down several zigzagging corridors which Zeke assured him he would soon be able to navigate himself (although Benjamin wasn’t so sure). Finally, they reached their destination - the rather innocuously labeled meeting room three. Inside, the room was brightly lit, with comfortable seats surrounding a low coffee table, and the aforementioned brunch set up buffet-style on a side console at the back of the room. 

There were four others already there - three females seated casually on the low sofas and chairs, and the fourth, a male, standing by the buffet. They glanced in the direction of the doorway as Benjamin and Zeke stepped inside. 

“How’s everyone doing?” Zeke greeted, and was met with sounds and murmurs of agreement. “I’ve got a few things to finish up with, so I’ll just let you introduce yourselves. I’ll be back in a bit to show you your training rooms.”

With that, he was gone, and Benjamin was left alone to face the curious stares of the celebrities. Never one to shy away from making new friends, he gave a small wave and a large smile. “Hullo. I’m Benjamin.”

“It’s good to have you with us, Benjamin,” a long-legged llama rose to her feet, dressed in casual slacks and a jacket. She was familiar, and it took him a few seconds to recognise her as the host of Talk Hansel, a popular entertainment-guest-chat show.  

“Ms. Hansel,” he acknowledged, and couldn’t help but comment, “you changed your hair,” the reason he hadn’t twigged who she was immediately. Instead of her usual blonde, the sweep of hair across her forehead was a rich auburn, matching the similar coloured markings along her arms and legs. “I like it.”

“Thank you,” she said merrily, and motioned him over to the empty space on the sofa beside her. “Please, call me Angharad. Mr Bale - Zeke - mentioned there would be one more to join, but he did not say who you were.”

Benjamin settled into the cushions, and clasped his paws together to stop himself from fidgeting. “I’m not a celebrity like you guys,” he admitted, “my friends put my name in for the public vote. I just work at ZPD.”

Angharad shook her head. “Celebrity or not, we’re all novices when it comes to dancing, so please! Don’t feel unequal here.”

“I’m so excited, but so nervous,” the anteater opposite them sighed, joining the conversation. “I don’t know what I was thinking agreeing to this - I’m a chef, not a dancer!” She tugged at the hem of her skirt. “Cali Marsa,” she answered his unspoken question, and he wondered if Aunt Madge had any of her books.

“It’ll be fun!” the small mongoose beside her tittered. “I’m used to gymnastics, but I can’t wait to try out dancing.” She certainly looked athletic to Benjamin, and he absently touched the bulge of his own stomach. 

“Did you compete in last year’s Zoolympics?” he asked instead.

“You betcha! Even got a silver in the Individual Artistic Gymnastics,” she declared proudly. “Louise Chittermoon,” she informed him, “but I’m Lou to my friends.”

“Of course, Lou,” he repeated happily, “and I can’t wait to get started either. I love this show, and I was so surprised to be invited to take part.”

“Indeed,” agreed the final occupant of the room and the only other male contestant. Benjamin did not need any introduction for the gorilla who moved away from the buffet table to stand behind Lou. He’d watched Gustav Stoutfur’s films since he was a boy, the older silverback’s performance as King Kong acquiring worldwide acclaim and initiating his life-long acting career. Benjamin wondered if he’d be able to get an autograph while he was here.

“I just hope that I’ll be assigned a ballroom dance; I do not think my joints would cope well with the Latin numbers,” Gustav continued.

“When do we get to find out what dance we’re doing?” Benjamin asked, as that had not been mentioned at all in the information which Zeke had provided him.

“Same time we find out who our partners are, I suppose,” Angharad replied with an easy shrug. “I tried to question Mr Bale some before everyone else arrived. We’ll meet our partners today and, if there’s time, maybe even start some basic training.”

Cali grimaced. “Oh goodness…”

Before they could continue the conversation, Zeke returned, grinning and tapping at his clipboard. “Right, time to get you paired up - if you haven’t turned tail and run by now!” His grin faded. “Actually come to think of it, please don’t run. It’ll bring me a lot of grief.”

The group laughed, and eager once more, followed along behind Zeke like school-cubs behind their teacher as he led them along yet more corridors, until they came to a double set of doors marked in red with “STUDIO 3 – OFF AIR”.

“This,” Zeke announced as he pushed open the doors, “is where the magic happens.”

Red velvet covered chairs, a smooth wooden floor, the stage at the back and the space for the live band, the curved staircases that the dancers descended from at the start of each show  – all was as they’d seen on tv, albeit somewhat darker and less glitter-filled than when the show was live on air. The lack of the pizzazz didn’t detract at all – the room felt like something at rest, just waiting to be awoken.

Benjamin squealed in delight and resisted the urge to run over to the judge’s table to see if there were any scoring pallets tucked away there he could pilfer as a souvenir.

“Now, I’m afraid one of the pros is running slightly late, but we are on a little bit of a schedule, so we’ll just have to get started without them,” Zeke explained. “Come on out and meet your partners!”

At his call, one of the curtains to the side of the stage swept open and four of the professional dancers tumbled out in a pile of show-biz grins and trim bodies dressed in comfortable exercise-wear, eyeing up the contestants – hopefully not too judgmentally. Benjamin recognised them from the show, both new and seasoned professionals alike.

Buck Whickerhoof, the zebra who had won last season’s show, was partnered with Angharad; the two long-legged animals made a striking couple, and were given the tango as their dance to perform.

Gustav was paired with Elle Narancia, an orangutan who was one of the original dancers on the show and a firm favourite with the fans. Gustav gave a sigh of relief on being told they would be performing the waltz, much to everyone’s amusement.

It was obvious who Lou’s pro would be simply due to size, and it was no surprise when Dusty Rollins was called over to meet her. The raccoon was a new dancer, only one season under his belt, but was frequently referred to as the show’s “pocket-rocket”. The smallest animal pair were given the jive, and Lou whooped with joy.

The remaining dancer was Ursula Remington, a sun bear, and Benjamin had a moment to wonder whether she would be paired with himself, before Zeke announced that Cali would be her partner, and that they would be dancing the rumba. 

Benjamin offered his congratulations to the rest, only a little anxious that his own meeting with his professional partner would be delayed – he so wanted to get started, after all!

“Benjamin, are you okay to wait here until your pro arrives – they know where to come. I’m gonna go show these guys where they can put their stuff and where they’ll be training. Any difficulties, just holler!” Zeke told him, before ushering the now-paired dancers off the stage and back towards the main building, where he’d pointed out the location of the training rooms they’d be using over the next few weeks. 

Benjamin didn’t mind the wait, and on finding himself alone in the Strictly Studio, giggled mischievously as he pulled out his phone and snapped a quick photo of the stage, before tapping open his all-time favourite app, and substituting the background image - a new feature recently added. 

“Wow - you are one hot dancer Ben-ja-min Claw-how-zer,” Gazelle’s electronic voice announced as she and the Benjamin-faced backing dancer moved across the Strictly stage. 

Benjamin cackled out loud, his feet dancing on the ground in delight as he saved the clip to show Bogo later. 

“I swear that app is going to haunt me for the rest of my life,” a low, rumbling voice came from behind him, and Benjamin spun around to face the speaker. 

A large tiger stood before him in ripped denim shorts and a black tank top that stretched over his broad chest and barely reached the middle of his muscled stomach. He had a sports bag slung casually over his shoulder and an easy smile on his square jaw. It was a body and a face that Benjamin recognised well, and even without the affirming glance to the phone in his hand, he would recognise one of Gazelle’s dancers-cum-bodyguards anywhere. 

Anyone who was a fan of Gazelle - which Benjamin most certainly was - knew about the Tabis brothers. 

The four tigers came from the same litter and were well-known faces in the show-biz and music industry, the protectors and companions of Gazelle from the very start of her career. They were known for being highly skilled and educated within their favourite disciplines: Shay, the eldest, had trained in martial arts and had a military background. He was followed by Ray, a competitive bodybuilder and Shay’s usual partner when it came to security detail. The next in line, Jay, was the renowned dancer and choreographer of the quartet, and unofficial lead when it came to Gazelle’s performances. Finally Kay, the youngest of the brothers, dabbled in photography and writing in addition to his reputation as a fashionista. 

He remembered they’d once mentioned in an interview that their parents had not been the most creative of name-givers, but the joke had been good-natured, and it was clear that the family was a close-knit one - and that Gazelle was an honorary member for sure.   


Benjamin could feel a flush working its way over his chubby cheeks, and he swiftly hit the back button on his phone, tucking it away in a pocket. “Um… I was just…doing...nothing… You’re Jay, right?” he abruptly changed the subject. 

“For my sins,” the tiger joked in response. 

“I’m such a big fan of Gazelle - and you! And your brothers! I saw you live a few months ago at that free gig she held, and it was  _ so _ amazing! I love you guys!” Only the slap of his paws firmly over his mouth stopped his stream of babbling, but his eyes still shone with undisguisable hero-worship.

Jay’s smile widened, and he gave a huff of laughter, seemingly unperturbed by Benjamin’s enthusiasm. “We had a lot of fun with that one, and we were especially glad to do it - a bit of cheer and a show of solidarity after all that predator-prey business.” His smile twisted into a slight grimace.

Benjamin’s own euphoria dimmed at the reminder of the unpleasantness, but his curiosity was too great to allow the momentary silence to continue. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “Are you helping out with the show?”

Jay’s good humour returned. “You could say that,” he prevaricated, then pinned his intense amber gaze on Benjamin. “I don’t suppose you happen to be Benjamin?”

Ears suddenly perked with interest, Benjamin gave a hesitant nod. 

“Now,  _ that _ has just made my day,” Jay responded with a full force smile that stretched from ear to ear. “Makes agreeing to be a pro for this charity dance just that bit more interesting! Nice to meet you, partner,” he said the last with a truly unforgivable attempt at an old Western accent, doffing an imaginary hat in Benjamin’s direction. 

Benjamin’s jaw fell. “Get out! You’ve not been on it before!” He would have known. He definitely would have known. 

“Not in a dancer capacity,” Jay acknowledged with an easy shrug, “but the dance business is a small enough world, and I have a lot of connections to the show - I’ve had a hand in the dance choreography mostly - and when they asked if I’d step in for the charity show, well…”

“You’re really my partner?” Benjamin squeaked, both exhilarated and appalled by this prospect. They wouldn’t be the first same-sex couple on Strictly - even alongside Cali and Ursula; with such varying sizes of mammals, the show’s producers tended to pair contestants and pros on physical compatibility rather than gender. 

Jay gave another one of his dazzling smiles and made to reply, when they were interrupted by a voice calling from across the studio, and a somewhat harried looking Zeke appeared. 

“Oh good! You're here Jay, and you've met Benjamin. I'm afraid there's no time for you to go by the training rooms; Wardrobe’s given a call to muster.”

Jay, clearly more experienced and comfortable with this side of showbiz, rolled his eyes good naturedly. “Well, if it's  _ Wardrobe  _ summoning us, we'd best hop to it. Metaphorically, I mean.”

Benjamin understood his comment, and Zeke's fluster, when he came to the aforementioned Wardrobe department. The room was a bustle of noise, a mix of multiple people speaking and music playing from a radio propped up on a stool by the door. There were mirrors and bright lights and a beautician’s station that seemed to run all the way around the room, its surface cluttered with brushes and powders and curlers and all the paraphernalia that Benjamin was only vaguely aware existed and had certainly never used. The other contestants and dancers were already there, each in various stages of undress, and make-up, and hair - some of them all at once! They looked more than content with the attention, Angharad and Gustav in particular who seemed to be having intense discussions with their stylists over colour and hair choices. 

“Ohhhhhh!” He gave an excited little wiggle on the spot, his gaze flicking all over the room trying to take everything in. He was really here, and even it was only for a few weeks, he was going to get the real star treatment. 

Jay caught his eye. “Not much cause for getting dolled up at the ZPD?” 

“Not really,” he admitted, because a strict uniform code didn’t give much of an opportunity to dress up.

“Just remember, if you’re uncomfortable with anything, you’re allowed to say no,” Jay assured him. 

“Thanks,” Benjamin responded gratefully, appreciating Jay’s attempt to make him feel better, but unless they brought out a mankini or something equally ridiculous, he was up for anything. 

A white fox scurried over to them, giving them a quick once over. “Jay, you're over there on the left; Benjamin, follow me please,” she instructed and motioned him over to the other side of the room. 

Jay gave him a thumbs up as he headed to his own booth, and Benjamin had a second to return a smile before he was prodded into a seat of his own. 

“First time?” The fox asked him as she adjusted the height of his seat and fiddled with the lights around the mirror. The name tag on her shirt read “Blanche”. 

“Yes,” Benjamin acknowledged, tapping his claws against his thigh in excitement. 

“We’re just doing preliminary measurements and fittings today. You have any idea of what you may want?”

“What I want,” he told her seriously, “is to be  _ transformed. _ ” 

She winked at him, and reached for a tailor’s tape. “Let’s see what we can do!”

 

* * *

  
The preliminary fittings ended up taking the rest of the day. It wasn’t simply a matter of taking his measurements and then forcing him to parade around in different garments - each outfit was specifically designed and made to requirements. They had the promo outfits, which were the first and currently most important ones, then the actual dance outfits, and then some spares for anything else they could think of. 

Blanche, it turned out, was Assistant Head Costumier on the show, and Benjamin found her simply marvellous. After he’d assured her he was up for just about anything, she’d got out a sketchbook and pen and begun taking notes on his preferences of colour and style, drawing out rough designs for his opinion, and bringing him an endless array of materials and fabrics to sample. 

Benjamin had been dazzled by all of it - he didn’t really know much about stretch satin versus spandex cotton, but he felt in very safe hands, and Blanche had been more than happy to cater to his wish for his favourite blues and reds as a colour scheme; the twinkle in her eye when he’d asked about rhinestones had been devilish. 

When she’d asked all she needed to, she announced he was free to escape the Wardrobe Team. A few of the others were still busy, but readily offered “goodbye”s and “good luck”s as he waved farewell. There was no sign of Jay as he was leaving, but Benjamin had his training rota from Zeke, so figured he’d see the tiger then. 

At the bus stop waiting for his bus, and alone for what felt like the first time that day, he was finally able to catch his breath from the whirl of the Strictly experience. He'd known it would be unlike anything he'd ever done before, and if day one was anything to go by, he was in for some very intense weeks. 

“You okay there, Benji?”

The words took him by surprise and he overbalanced from his precarious position perched on the rather useless bus stop seat. A strong hand shot out to grip his elbow and help him stay on his feet, and he looked up to Jay with a grateful nod. 

“I missed you leaving in the mad rush, just wanted to check you were okay,” the tiger continued, his tone concerned. 

“Yes! It's all good!” Benjamin replied, somewhat flustered. “Just, you know, today's been-” he mimed an explosion coming out of his head, and hoped Jay would understand what he meant. 

Jay gave one of the soft smiles which Benjamin was becoming rather fond of. “Showbiz is like that, I'm afraid. But if there's anything you need, you just let me know. Anytime, okay?”

“Thank you!” he enthused. “You getting the bus too?” He asked, realising he wasn't even sure where Jay lived - one of the few things the media hadn't managed to find out. 

“No, I rode,” was the answer, and Jay held up a helmet he had in his other paw which Benjamin hadn't seen earlier. 

“Of course you ride a motorbike,” he blurted out, then his eyes widened upon realising it had been out loud. “I mean - yes - you rode, so you'd ride home-”

Jay laughed, thankfully, and waggled the helmet before him. “You sure I can't offer you a lift?”

As much as the idea of squeezing onto a motorbike behind Jay might appeal, he didn’t want to put the tiger out of his way. “Oh, um, thank you, but I’ll be okay.”

Jay gave an easy shrug, not appearing put out. “Another time, perhaps. Anyway, I'm glad you're okay, and I'll see you on Saturday for training?” 

“Absolutely!”

“Take care, then.” Jay gave him a smile, and turned to walk back to the car park, where Benjamin could see a motorbike parked in one of the bays. 

He'd better pull himself together before Saturday, he thought, and then he suddenly remembered something else. 

“Wait!” Benjamin called out and several metres ahead Jay paused, twisting around to face him again, his eyebrows raised expectantly. “You never told me what dance we were going to be doing.”

The tiger smiled. “Did I not? Well, Benji, prepare yourself for...Salsa!” He gave a very controlled, experienced shimmy, followed by an exaggerated wink.

Benjamin swallowed thickly. 

Jay. 

And Salsa. 

He was going to die. 

 

* * *

 

 

To be continued...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - a friend pointed out the ethical quandary regarding domesticated animals in the Zootopia world, so I've changed Kit Juniper to an African Wild Dog.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be linking appropriate songs at points during the fic if people are interested in that!
> 
> I'm also working on character sketches, which I will insert at a later time when they're finished and I'm happy with them...

 

Saturday arrived almost before he knew it and with it Benjamin’s first proper training session. He’d spent the week alternatively detailing his first day of Strictly stardom to anyone who would listen (Chief Bogo had been suitably impressed upon finding out who his professional partner was) and furtively looking up videos of Salsa steps on ZooTube and practicing in front of the mirror and Aunt Madge in the evenings. He knew that Jay was well aware of his lack of dancing knowledge, and in his heart of hearts, he didn’t expect the tiger to _really_ be able to teach him to dance, but he wanted to prove that he was at least willing and eager to learn and try, even if the talent didn’t quite match the enthusiasm. 

With his bag packed with drinks, snacks, and a change of clothes, Benjamin peered around the door of the training room which had been designated to him and Jay; it was a longish room with windows at the back end, and a mirror wall to one side; a few chairs and training equipment lined the opposite wall. 

Jay’s back was towards the door and he was clearly prepared for training, wearing baggy black tracksuit bottoms with his usual tank top albeit this time in white. He had a phone in one paw and was talking to someone via an earpiece. 

“ -things are fine, thanks,” Benjamin heard him say, and was caught in the awkward position of not wanting to intrude on a possibly private conversation, but too far into the room to back up without being noticed; he froze uncomfortably on the spot, trying to distract himself from listening too much by focusing on the ceiling light above him. 

“Give me a shout when you get back into town and we’ll have a proper get together. I want to hear all about the new recordings,” Jay continued, and took a step towards the window, the half turn now allowing him to see Benjamin, who gave a small wave and a sheepish smile. 

“Shay, I gotta go - Benjamin’s here,” he paused, presumably for Shay’s reply, and gave a small laugh before he ended the call with a quick “Speak soon!”

He took the earpiece out and dropped it on the shelf beside him along with his phone. “Sorry about that; it’s difficult to find the time to catch up with Shay while he’s over in Animal City - the time difference can be tricky.”

“You told your brothers about me?” Benjamin couldn’t help but ask as he wandered over to Jay, embarrassed to admit he’d been listening, but too curious all the same to resist. 

“Of course,” Jay said, looking surprised at the question. “It’s only fair they know who’s going to be taking all my time up over the next few weeks!” 

Benjamin immediately felt bad. “I don’t want you to not see your brothers because of me!”

Jay just waved his paw. “Sometimes it’s nice to have a little downtime from each other, get to do our own things for a bit; we’re so much in each other’s pockets as it is.”

“I don’t have siblings,” Benjamin admitted. “It must be nice.”

“It is,” Jay agreed with a lopsided smile. “As nice as it is maddening at times.”

Benjamin had always wanted to be part of a large family; he only really had his aunt, which was probably why he was so eager to befriend everyone. 

Glancing around the room, he realised what has been missing the entire time. “Are there no cameras?”

“Not on day one,” Jay explained, “it’s something that I and most of the other pros requested. It’s difficult enough getting to know each other and explain what we’re going to do without stage fright and cameras in our faces.  _ I’m  _ used to it, but I figure you’re not.”

Benjamin laughed in agreement, secretly relieved he wouldn’t be on display on his very first day; he really wanted to make a good impression with Jay, and though he knew cameras in the training room were inevitable, he hoped by that stage he would be a tad more competent in dancing. 

“Anyway,” Jay moved on, clapping his paws together, “I’m glad to see you’re nice and early! We have a busy day ahead. Do you need to get changed? There’s a small changing-shower room just down the corridor.”

“I’ll go do that, then.” Not wishing to unnecessarily waste any more of Jay’s time, Benjamin hurried down the corridor and found the door with a showerhead sticker on the outside. Locking himself inside, he found it exactly as Jay had described – a decent sized room with a sink and mirror on one side, a shower stall on the other, and a small bench the kind you’d get in swimming changing rooms in between.

At least he’d have somewhere to tidy up after the training sessions; he was under no illusion that he wasn’t going to look like a sweaty mess after heavy physical activity. 

Quickly shucking his normal clothes, he pulled on the stretchy black leggings and top that Aunt Madge had told him to wear for training, hoping that Jay wasn’t expecting anything specific – it hadn’t been mentioned in the brief, and he knew from watching the show that comfort was the key thing. He finished his outfit off with the legwarmers which had been a gag gift for his birthday last year, unused until now, but fitting for his current escapades he thought. Plus, they brightened up the black a bit. 

Stuffing his things into his bag he hurried back to the training room; there, he set it down out of the way and came to stand more in the centre of the room.

As soon as he walked in, Jay chuckled as his eyes fell to Benjamin’s legs. “Cute,” he said approvingly of the rainbow-striped accessories. “They your lucky charm?”

Benjamin returned the grin, wiggling his toes. “I hope so!”

Paws on his hips, Jay’s muscles bulged under velvety fur. “Okay, Benji, what I thought we’d do is have a quick chat about your experience of dancing, then do some warm up, and then we can make a start on the routine...Sound okay?”

“It sounds  _ awesome _ ,” Benjamin was quick to respond. “And I dance, but I don’t  _ dance _ , if you know what I mean?”

“So no professional experience, but you can boogie well enough at a party?” Jay translated for him, and Benjamin laughed. 

“Something like that,” he said. “I’ve looked up some videos this week and tried some basic salsa steps…”

“I can’t wait to see what you’ve picked up,” Jay gave a friendly wink. “Right, let’s get started.”

He padded over to corner of the room where a somewhat old looking hi-fi sat on the floor. He fiddled with the controls, and a moment later a  [ slow but upbeat salsa ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNHwNreDp3A) track filled the room, Jay immediately starting to hum along. He returned to Benjamin’s side, and motioned for him to face the mirror wall. 

“Right - let’s get warmed up. Just follow me as best you can - the point right now is to move, not get it perfect,” Jay advised. 

Benjamin nodded - and then his first training session began in earnest. 

Jay started with walking on the spot. The tiger kept it slow, and when Benjamin felt comfortable with that, Jay added in some backwards and forwards steps, then side to side, and arm movements.

It was difficult to ignore that this was the first time he was - in theory - dancing in front of his professional partner, and he kept throwing glances Jay’s way to make sure he was doing the right thing. The few times the tiger caught his eyes, he gave a wide smile and a nod of encouragement, which in turn let Benjamin relax and give his whole attention to moving. 

As Jay had surmised, Benjamin enjoyed dancing - nothing professional, as he’d said, except a few tap lessons as a young cub - but there was something about letting his body move to music which gave him a great sense of freedom.

Whether he was any good at it had never bothered him before, and he wasn’t going to let it bother him now. 

He knew what people would say about a cat his size being on the show; the same things they said about him being a police officer, and he had never let it deter him from doing what he wanted. So what if he was overweight by big cat standards? So what if he liked his desserts a bit too much, and didn’t really exercise beyond the walk to the local shop for groceries?

He was here, and he wanted this, and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity - and he was going to have as much fun as he possibly could. 

Jay’s “warm up” was certainly that, and after fifteen minutes of basic salsa steps mixed in with stretches, Benjamin was breathless and struggling not to pant; he was determined to keep up though, but he must have looked like he was about to keel over as Jay quickly called for a halt. Benjamin gratefully slumped down on the floor with his legs curled in front of him and retrieved his bottle of water, guzzling it down as quickly as he could. 

Jay, of course, simply looked refreshed. He crouched down in front of Benjamin. “You okay?” he asked in concern. 

“Just...give me a minute...” he wheezed out, “or five…”

Jay nodded, although it was clear he was still worried. “Take as much time as you need.”

“‘M not used to a lot of exercise, as you could probably tell,” he felt the need to admit - not that it wasn’t obvious right now - but he wanted to be honest with Jay about what to expect. 

Jay’s broad shoulders moved in a tiny shrug. “Fitness is something you have work for, and you can never stop, because you lose it so easily. You’ll be amazed at what we can do in three weeks - at what  _ you _ can do. Besides,” he added, and his eyes were so  _ warm _ , “I think you’re doing great. You’ve got a musical ear, and rhythm, and you’re here and giving it your all - that’s more than enough to start with, and I can’t ask for any more than that in a partner. The technique and the steps? They’ll come.” 

Benjamin’s whole body lit up at the effusive praise, and his whiskers twitched with restrained delight. “You really mean it?”

“Trust me,” came the very firm reply, “I wouldn’t want to dance with anyone else.”

Benjamin squared his shoulders and adopted his most police-worthy expression. “I’m not going to let you down,” he promised. Not Jay, and not Judy and Nick and Chief Bogo who had voted for him and got him here. 

“And I’ll do the same. You ready for some more?” Jay asked, holding out a large paw and quirking an eyebrow in unmistakable challenge. 

Benjamin grasped the offered paw, and let out a whoosh of breath as Jay surged to his feet, bringing a slightly more ungainly Benjamin to his. 

“Lead on,” he demanded. 

Heart to heart over, Jay moved from the warm up to some actual salsa dancing. He explained to Benjamin that he hadn’t prepared a full routine as such, as he usually tailored his dance to his partner’s specific skills and strengths; even having watched all the shows and the extras, for some reason Benjamin had still thought the pros turned up on day one of training with a fully choreographed routine. On hearing it, Jay’s version made much more sense. 

So Jay played salsa music and took Benjamin through the basics - the count of eight back and forth step which would make up the core of the routine, the side to side, how to stand in hold, and even some basic spins. 

Benjamin was grateful he had practiced a bit, but doing the steps on his own was nothing compared to doing them with an experienced partner. 

Despite his previous fears, there was no awkwardness in being in Jay’s arms - he let himself have a moment to notice just how strong they were and how comfortable they felt around his waist, and then he simply concentrated on the steps that Jay was showing him. It was a pleasant surprise to find the larger tiger had no problems with leading him - and that he was able to follow without too much trouble! 

Jay finally called a halt mid-afternoon, and promised a more in depth discussion about ideas for the routine next session, sending Benjamin on his way with another one of his warming smiles and an offer of a lift home which Benjamin again declined. 

He attempted to repeat some of the steps with Aunt Madge that evening after dinner, although it wasn’t long before she cried off due to her arthritis and padded off to bed, leaving Benjamin to spin in front of the mirror on his own while humming along to his favourite tracks.

As he tucked himself under his covers later that evening, warm and cozy in his Gazelle pyjamas, he gave a content little sigh. 

Not bad for day one!

 

* * *

 

 

Despite  a bubble bath, tub of cookie dough ice cream, and an early night - he still struggled the next day. He’d known that much exercise was sure to leave him sore, but he felt like muscles he didn’t even know he had were making themselves known; the last time he’d worked his body so hard was during Police Academy training, and that had been….more years ago now than he cared to remember. 

It didn’t do much to dampen his mood as reality returned and Strictly was put on hold while he worked a few shifts at Precinct 1. It was a quiet weekend for the ZPD, and Benjamin wasn’t overly taxed workwise, which was what he liked best as it gave him plenty of time to catch up on Gazelle’s official gossip page and reply to several misguided comments on the Fanpage section (he’d had an admin account for going on three years now.)

On Tuesday afternoon, he returned to the studio for his second dance practice - and the first in front of the cameras.

“They like making a comparison between early training sessions and later ones,” Jay explained to him as they waited to one side for the camera crew to finish setting up. “They might come once more next week, but then not again until the week before the actual show.”

“And hoping there’s some difference between the two,” Benjamin joked, causing the tiger to laugh. 

“You’ll find we won’t get much in the way of practice today,” the pro dancer carried on. “I know it looks natural when they edit it all, but you’ll find it’s a bit more directed than that.”

Benjamin nodded, watching the proceedings with interest; he couldn’t get over all the behind the scenes information he was picking up by actually being in the show. 

A few moments later the pair were approached by the pangolin who seemed to be in charge. A tribal tattoo curled its way up his neck and over the top of his scaled head, and his purple rimmed spectacles matched his skinny jeans. “Raleigh,” he introduced himself, “Strictly Director. It’s my job to make everything as painless as I can - so let me talk you through it.”

Raleigh was good at his job, Benjamin found. He made the whole process comfortable, a give and take of ideas and instructions that made time pass quickly. Although the whole thing was designed to look good on camera, he encouraged them to be honest in their responses and actions, because there was no point in filming something fake - “You’re not actors,” he told them, “we want to see the real you”. He directed them in shots for their training montage where Jay spun him round and tried to teach him steps, and interspersed it with the interview snippets that would bulk out their intro video. 

“That should do for now,” he finally called an end after several hours. While his camera crew packed up, he jotted down some notes into his iPaw. “Benjamin, how do you feel about us coming to do some filming at your work? Or inviting your aunt down to the studio to watch a rehearsal?”

“I’d have to run it by the Chief,” Benjamin delayed agreement, although the prospect was certainly an enticing one. “But Aunt Madge would definitely come.” That he had no doubt about. 

“Brill!” The pangolin said enthusiastically, before turning to Jay. “How about you, Jay - any chance of a visit with your brothers?”

Jay gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Doesn’t hurt to ask.”

“That would be grand,” he said as he tucked away his device. “I’ll get Zeke to organise the particulars. It was nice to meet you Benjamin - I’ll see you on Friday.”

“What’s on Friday?” Benjamin asked, not quite yet up to speed with his new diary.

“Promo shots!” Raleigh winked.

 

* * *

 

 

"I  feel like I’m going to tear something if I move too much,” Lou muttered as she stepped up beside Benjamin on Friday morning as they waited their turn to film their promo shots. 

“You look stunning!” Benjamin retorted, admiring her sequin dress made in shades of green with black tassels, and getting a small smile from the mongoose for his compliment. “You too,” she returned.  

His own outfit sparkled just as much as hers, the neckline of his navy blue shirt studded with multi-coloured rhinestones that ran down his chest to the cummerband wrapped around his waist. The material was so shiny and soft that he had to resist the urge to rub his paws on it - he didn’t want to stain or rip it so soon after he’d put it on! 

“Trust me,” Jay’s rumbling voice came from directly behind his ear, “the outfits are designed to endure a fair amount.”

Startled by the tiger’s sudden presence right behind him, Benjamin jumped and spun round, only to find whatever admonishment he had prepared to give suddenly stick in his throat at the sight of Jay’s outfit - or well, lack thereof. He wore tight fitting black trousers and a matching waistcoat studded with red gems, left open to reveal his bare chest. He knew Jay was more than comfortable in his fur from Gazelle’s performances, but Benjamin had never been so close before!

“Um,” he stammered, unable to think of a response, and was luckily spared by Zeke’s call for everyone to gather round.

The otter gave a brief overview of what would happen next - the promo shots that would be used for publicity, and also the first “intro” interviews of the celebrities and the new dancers which would be shown during the live performances. While the couples discussed their poses and tested a few simple dance moves that could be filmed, one by one they were led to the prepared backdrop for the interviews - a darkened room full of spotlights and screens and glitterballs. 

As promised, he was pleased to see Raleigh behind the camera, and knew he was in for a good time. There were police themed puns that made him giggle as he tried to pose seriously with a police hat and baton, and endless amounts of glitter that he got to throw around. He spoke about his surprise at being selected as the people’s choice, the friends who had nominated him, and his joy at being there - and when he was finally released, he didn’t feel as if he’d made too much a fool of himself. 

Then it came to the promo shots, and he realised with a small flutter of nerves that it would be the first time he’d get to see all the celebrities and their partners dance - and they would get to see him and Jay. 

He’d been right about Angharad and Buck looking good together - the TV presenter was used to the camera, and looked in her element as Buck lifted her in the air and twirled her around. Next, Ursula encouraged a  very nervous Cali through a slightly wobbly shimmy, while Dusty and Lou quick-stepped in from opposite ends to meet with clasped hands in the middle. 

Then it was their turn, and Benjamin rubbed slightly sweaty paws on the bushy tip of his tail, before squaring his shoulders and making his way over to his partner.

“Ready?” Jay asked brightly, already standing on the small stage area in front of the green screens. 

“What do you want me to do?” Benjamin asked as he stepped up to join him. 

“Nothing strenuous! Just a spin that will look good on camera,” Jay explained, and motioned for Benjamin to stand in front of him. When he did, Jay reached out with both paws facing Benjamin and wiggled his claws. “Basic hold,” he prompted. 

With a last wipe, Benjamin held out his paws and let Jay clasp them in his larger ones, positioning his arms into the classic hold which they had been practicing. He somehow doubted he had the same poise as the tiger, however. 

“Just relax,” Jay coaxed, smiling charmingly, “and follow my lead - we’re going to do a little spin, and smile at the camera.”

Still not completely convinced but willing to trust anything Jay told him at this point, Benjamin tried to keep his body loose and his jitters under control as Raleigh called over for them to give it a test go. He took a breath and before he could even really tell what was happening, he found his arms twisting above his head as Jay’s powerful body moved around him, until he ended up facing the camera, his arms crossed over his chest, and Jay’s chest pressed against his back. 

“That was good, Jay, Benjamin!” Raleigh called to them from behind the camera. “Benjamin, I’m just going to need you to look a little less startled, and remember to smile more!”

Well, he wasn’t going to have any problem with that, Benjamin thought as they took their starting place once again. He stared up at Jay with a massive grin. “How did you just do that?!” he whispered excitedly. “I didn’t even know what you were going to do!”

If Jay’s expression was pleased and just a tad smug, Benjamin didn’t mind overmuch. “With a good leader and a willing follower, it’s easy to make simple dancing look good.”

“You just remember that come the live dance,” Benjamin told him as Raleigh gave the call to try again.

Jay laughed as he spun him around once more. 

It only took another two takes until Raleigh was satisfied. The last to step onto the stage was Gustav and Elle, and the elder actor made a deep bow to his partner before taking her hand in his and smiling to the camera - which concluded all the intro filming. After that they were ushered before a few more screens for some photographs - in their dance pairs, in the groups of celebrities, as well as everyone together. Again, the photographer knew how to make it fun, interspersing silly shots with actual promo shots, which Zeke promised they'd be able to see and have copies of later.

It was here that the other famous names of Strictly Zootopia finally made an appearance.

Lynette Bayadere and Asopus Papageorgiou had been presenting the show since its beginning: the former was a lemur who had tried her hand at everything from acting to singing to a short spell performing in a circus troupe, oddly enough, and her career had grown with her, from a child star to a well-loved adult presenter; Asopus, on the other hand, had made a name for himself on Broadway, joining the TV scene later on in life. The capybara was a distinguished presenter who knew the value of both fun and solemnity.

The two presenters greeted both dancers and TV crew as old friends, and quickly made their introductions with the new faces; Benjamin found himself drawn into the group with ease. 

“I’m Lyn,” the lemur greeted, one arm slipped around her co-presenter’s elbow, “and this guy prefers Papi,” she added with a wink.  

The aforementioned Papi pushed up the pince-nez perched on the end of his snout with a delicate claw, his eyes twinkling with humour. “Easier than either of my actual names,” he said dryly. “I would just like to say how so very glad I am to meet you all. No matter how many years I have presented this show, each new batch of dancers is a joy to behold.”

“Until they start dancing, that is!” A voice joined in, and Benjamin turned to find a smartly dressed coyote standing just out of the way, baring his teeth in a canine grin. 

“Now, now, Christopher,” Lyn admonished, “everyone knows you’re all growl and no bite.”

“Well don't tell  _ them _ that!” Christopher Loudgrowl, the self-proclaimed “Mr Mean” of the judges, rebutted with a yap of laughter, smoothing a paw down his pinstriped suit. Known as the harshest scorer on the panel, Loudgrowl was difficult to please and his comments were often controversial - but he was still popular, and added a certain feistiness to the judging. 

“They would find out soon enough, my dear,” a gentle voice called from behind him, and former prima ballerina Dawn Dapplewood stepped out to join them. As she linked her arm through the coyote’s, Benjamin could see why the Sika doe was considered one of the leading beauties of dance - her every movement exuded grace and elegance, her golden fur with its cream spots was silky smooth, and there was the added delicate touch of the gold chains on her forehead bumps; if he hadn’t already devoted himself to Gazelle, he could certainly see Dawn as a contender.

“Don’t mind this one,” she carried on, offering up a smile to show she was just teasing. Turning her head behind her, she called out, “Philippe, Lance - come meet the new dancers.”

Head Judge Philippe Brayer was a donkey of older years; although his muzzle was flecked with grey, his posture was still as straight as any younger dancer, and he was well-respected among his peers. When he spoke his words were tinged with his native French. “Bonjour, mes amis! How are you all getting on? Not too badly, I hope!” 

The last and smallest of the judges scurried forward and peered up at the group. What Lance Russet lacked in size, the red panda more than made up for in personality - and eccentric waistcoats. “Just you wait, we’ll be popping by your training sessions to get a good glimpse before long.” 

That alarming comment aside, the judges were as friendly as all the other ZTV staff and exchanged pleasantries and casual conversation for a good while before they themselves were summoned by Zeke. 

“The camera awaits!” Papi intoned theatrically as he ushered the group over to Raleigh.

“They seem nice,” Cali commented, as the huddled group of contestants watched the judges leave. 

Gustav gave her a sideways glance. “The scoring paddles have yet to appear,” he warned.

Cali’s expression froze. “Oh no…”

“You’re free to go, guys!” Zeke announced, suddenly appearing in front of them clutching his ever-present clipboard. “Thank you so much for all your hard work and patience.” 

The moment they were released, the wardrobe team once again descended upon them like a plague, this time to relieve them of their Strictly getup. Benjamin gave his dance outfit a last, longing glance as it was covered in plastic wrapping and hung away. “Until next time,” he whispered goodbye. 

As he stepped out the changing room, he saw Jay leaning against the opposite wall, big paws tucked into the belt of his jeans. “Hey, you got a minute?”

“Of course!” He pulled his rucksack up over his shoulder and followed Jay further down the corridor.

The tiger pulled out a USB and held it out. “I’m sorry it’s a bit late, but I wanted to finally let you know what song we’ll be dancing to.”

“Oooh!” Benjamin squealed and quickly took the USB, peering at it as if he’d be able to tell just from sight alone what the track would be. “What is it?”

Jay hummed slightly, and his whiskers twitched mischievously. “You sure you want me to tell you, or would you rather find out yourself?”

Benjamin thought about it for a moment; patience and holding back weren’t exactly his forte, but he did also like surprises…

“I’ll wait,” he finally decided, and tucked the USB stick safely away in his pocket. 

“Listen to it and let me know what you think. I hope you’ll like it - it’s one of my favourites. It’s not Gazelle,” he was quick to add, likely reading Benjamin’s thoughts. 

Benjamin gave a lopsided smile, finding his own obviousness funny - but he wasn’t going to be embarrassed. 

“Sunday for training?” he checked instead. 

“Absolutely!” Jay confirmed. “Can’t wait!”

 

* * *

 

 

"Benny,  is that you?”

For all the years it had been just the two of them living in the flat, his Aunt’s greeting was always the same whenever she heard someone come in the front door - and likewise, Benjamin’s reply completed the small but significant homecoming routine. 

“Yes, Auntie!” he called as he shut the front door behind him. He squirmed out of his jacket to hang up on the pegs by the door, and padded down the corridor to peer into the kitchen where Madge was pottering around, in the middle of setting out the tea things.

“Did you have a good time?” his aunt asked, filling a large teapot with hot water.

“I did!” Benjamin enthused. “I’ll tell you in a bit - I’ve got to do something first!” 

He hurried further down the hallway to his room at the end, his rucksack clutched in his paws. Once inside, he closed the door and dropped into his desk chair which creaked alarmingly at the sudden weight. Hitting the power button on his PC he fetched the USB Jay had given him from his bag and slotted it into the port. He tapped his claws anxiously on the desk as he waited for the PC to start up, and gave a small wiggle when the Gazelle background appeared. It took a few clicks to open the USB folder and select the only file in there. 

His eyes widened and he gave a gasp of surprised delight as Enrique’s  [ “Subeme La Radio” ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i_sHfJBkf4) filled his room. The Iberian Ibex singer was instantly recognisable, and the song itself had topped the Z-Radio charts for a few weeks when it had first been released - and Benjamin was a fan. 

He let the track repeat several times, trying to match the routine he’d started learning to the song. Jay had chosen well, he thought, for the music was lively and upbeat without being too frenzied for Benjamin to follow, and the electronic background gave it a dreamy epic feel. 

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the music, mouthing along to the words until he heard a soft knock on his door. 

Aunt Madge peered around the door, a cup and saucer in her paw. “Is this what you’ll be dancing to?” she asked curiously. 

Benjamin left the music playing as he rose and retrieved the tea. “Jay decided today.”

“It’s good,” the elder cheetah gave a small nod. “I’m so glad you’re having a good time.”

Benjamin grinned. “I really am.”

She reached out and placed a paw on his shoulder. “Your mamma would be proud of you.”

Benjamin grasped her paw and gave it a soft squeeze. He knew how difficult it was for his aunt to talk about her sister; Donna had died while he was still too young to really remember her, and he mostly knew her from the photographs his aunt kept in albums, and the stories she’d told him as a cub. 

“I want  _ you _ to be proud of me,” he told her gently. 

Her brown eyes teared up and she let out a sniffle. “Of  _ course _ I’m proud of you, Benny.” She leaned down a nuzzled against his forehead, before straightening and wiping at her eyes. “Don’t take too long…  _ Tooth and Claw _ is going to start soon.”

His aunt’s favourite cop show had been on tv for over a decade now, and both of them knew full well it wasn’t on for another three quarters of an hour. 

Benjamin smiled all the same. “I’ll come along soon,” he reassured her.

 

* * *

 

 

On  Saturday evening while he was in the middle of preparing dinner, his phoned pinged up with a message from an unknown number. Pausing Enrique - which had become his number one played song this evening - he flicked open the message to read the contents. 

  * **Sat 6:42pm From: Unknown  
** Hi Benji. You have a chance to listen to the track yet? ~J



He didn’t even question how Jay had got his number (likely the ever-helpful Zeke), but wiped his paws down his novelty apron and hurriedly tapped out a reply; he couldn’t help the excited flush that spread over his cheeks.

  * **Sat 6:43pm From: Benjamin  
** YES! It’s PURRfect :D :D :D



Jay’s response was almost immediate. 

  * **Sat 6:43pm From: Unknown  
** I just *knew* you’d like it! I’m so pleased! ~J



It gave Benjamin a warm tingly feeling that he’d made Jay happy just by liking his song choice - and he was glad that his enthusiasm was genuine, even though he’d have pretended if need be. 

  * **Sat 6:44pm From: Benjamin  
** I’ve been listening to it all evening! I think Madge and the neighbours will probably hate it before long…  
  

  * **Sat 6:44pm From: Unknown  
** Benji, if they haven’t staged an intervention for your Gazelle obsession before now, I’m sure a few weeks of salsa won’t hurt them.



Benjamin laughed aloud at that comment - and the truth of it. When he’d been younger, he’d remembered a few neighbours commenting on how much Gazelle he listened to, but over the years it had just become an undisputed part of him; no one had ever complained, in any case, a testament to just how lucky they’d always been with their neighbours. 

Before he could formulate a reply, his phone pinged again. 

  * **Sat 6:45pm From: Unknown  
** And don’t think I missed that pun either… you should be ashamed of yourself. It was truly a-paw-ling. ;)



It took Benjamin a few seconds to let that sink in - normally people just ignored his silliness and overuse of emojis in texts - but here was Jay, not only acknowledging it, but  _ matching _ it. 

  * **Sat 6:45pm From: Benjamin  
** OMG



He paused briefly before his next message, but in the end, decided to send it - he’d always been honest with his feelings; if it was too much, he trusted Jay to tell him. 

  * **Sat 6:45pm From: Benjamin  
** I think you’re awesome



A slightly tense thirty seconds, and then he got his reply. 

  * **Sat 6:46pm From: Unknown  
** I think you’re awesome, too. I’m glad we’ve got a chance to get to know each other.  
  

  * **Sat 6:46pm From: Unknown  
** P.S. Didn’t you mean “paw-some”?



Benjamin let another wave of giggles loose - then suddenly heard a sizzling sound, and turned to find the boiling pot of potatoes on the hob overspilling. 

“Eep!” He dropped his phone back into his apron pocket and gave his attention to dinner, turning down the gas and stirring until the water simmered down once more. His phone pinged at him from his pocket, but he waited until he’d seasoned the meat and got it under the grill before he picked it up again. 

  * **Sat 6:48pm From: Unknown  
** Too much? =P  
  

  * **Sat 6:50pm From: Unknown  
** Everything all right?  
  

  * **Sat 6:55pm From: Unknown  
** Benji?



His eyes widened at the column of messages. Had his few minutes of silence really caused such concern? He was quick to give his reassurances. 

  * **Sat 6:55pm From: Benjamin  
** YES! All good. Just needed to focus on dinner a sec! My turn tonight.  
  

  * **Sat 6:56pm From: Unknown  
** You cook as well?! A cat of many talents! What’s on the menu tonight?



Keeping an eye on the hob this time, Benjamin happily typed back. 

  * **Sat 6:56pm From: Benjamin  
** Turkey escalopes with citrus-honey sauce.



It was one of Cali Marsa’s recipes from a book which he had indeed found on Aunt Madge’s shelf. His preference lay in baking, but he enjoyed turning his paws towards savoury food, and Aunt Madge was a gracious and enthusiastic guinea-pig, and had indeed developed and nurtured his own love of food - for better or worse!

  * **Sat 6:57pm From: Unknown  
** That sounds absolutely amazing - I don’t suppose you’d accept a cheeky request for a packed lunch some time?



Benjamin huffed out a laugh and mentally recalculated the amount of ingredients he’d need for an extra portion. It would probably still be okay for Sunday… or he could just whip up something new that morning… 

  * **Sat 6:58pm From: Unknown  
** Anyway, I’d best leave you to it. Have a good weekend, and see you tomorrow. ~J



A little puzzled at the abrupt end of the exchange, Benjamin nonetheless saved Jay’s number into his contacts and gave his full attention to dinner;  _ something _ had just happened, but he wasn’t quite sure what. He would leave it until later when he had the proper time to read back over the conversation and try to figure it out. 

“How are you getting on? Need any help?” his aunt called from the living room. 

“It’s all in hand, auntie!” he replied. 

His phone remained silent for the rest of the evening.

 

* * *

To be continued... 


End file.
